1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of connector cable systems and in particular to a hybrid connector cable system in which the connector cable includes a metallic conductor for transmitting electrical power and at least one optical fiber for transmitting information signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of fiber optics for transmitting information between remote locations is gaining increasing favor due to their small size, lightweightness, corrosion resistance, large bandwidth, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. In most applications, the conversion of electrical signals to light signals and vice versa, takes place in the transmitting and receiving units. Therefore, this type of arrangement requires optical fiber connectors to connect the optical fiber between the respective units. These optical fiber connectors are fairly expensive, require delicate handling, are comparatively inefficient in transferring the energy between the optical fibers and require relatively high expertise to install.
To eliminate the problems associated with these optical fiber connectors, Kaelin in U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,284, Logan in U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,512 and Inagaki et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,204 teach embodying the electrooptic convertors in the connectors disposed at the opposite ends of the fiber optic cables so that the signals received by an output from the connectors are purely electrical signals. This same concept is also taught by Sone et al in U.K. Patent No. 2,099,254 and by Rohner et al in German Patent No. 3,048,512.
Chiron et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,512 expands this concept to a connector for a multi-fiber fiber optic transmission cable. In the connector taught by Chiron et al, the connector has both electrical-to-light transducers and light-to-electrical signal transducers.
The invention is a hybrid connector cable system having particular use in communication, industrial, automotive, aerospace, and marine environments which eliminates the need for separate cables for transmitting information signals and electrical power for sensors and/or actuators.